Under Lock and Key
by ozgirlambrosia
Summary: AlexIzzie. From Izzie's POV. Chapter Nine just added, and it feels like a good place to stop. It's super sappy, gushy, love stuff so sweet you might even get a toothache. But what better way to celebrate Valentine's Day. I hope you enjoy it!
1. The Fight

Izzie heard the front door creak open and slam shut from in the kitchen. "Mer… is that you?" she called. Meredith had plans with Derek immediately after work, and it was unlike her to be home early – if at all – when she was spending the evening with McDreamy. And after their encounter in the locker room… well, Izzie seriously doubted George would be back in the house so soon.

No response. Izzie dropped her wooden spoon into the unmixed cake batter, untied her apron and headed for the front entryway. "Who's there?" She jumped a bit at the sight of George turning to face her from the hallway. "Oh… it's you," her surprise turned into a smirk. "I wasn't expecting you back here tonight, George," she said, turning back toward the kitchen.

"Why not?" he replied firmly, following her. Izzie had to admit, she wasn't used to this new, confrontational George – but then again, the old George wouldn't have run off to Vegas and married a woman so obviously unworthy of him.

Izzie went back to mixing her chocolate cake. "I dunno," she said nonchalantly. "I thought you'd be spending time with your wife. At her place. Both of your place. Whatever." She rolled her eyes – something she did so frequently it had become like a reflex.

"Izzie, what is your deal?" he asked, more than just a hint of anger in his voice. "You don't have to like Callie, but you damn sure have to respect her place in my life. You've treated her like crap ever since we first got together, but it's only gotten worse since we got married."

Even though she'd never say so out loud, Izzie knew she was being unfair to Callie. Ever since Denny's death, she'd clung to George for comfort… and maybe she just wasn't ready to be without a support system. And she resented Callie not only for taking her best friend, but also for having what she never got to have with Denny, someone she fell in love with just as quickly – a future. Why did Callie deserve happiness and not her?

"I don't know," she snapped. "Meredith is with the man she loves, Cristina is with the man she loves, and now… Callie, too. And she deserves it least of all!"

Izzie could see the anger rising in George's face. His eyes narrowed and his mouth stiffened, his teeth obviously clenched. Had she gone too far?

"You're unbelievable," he said, huffing. "If anything is destroying our friendship, it's your attitude. I wasn't going to tell you this, but you've pushed me to the point where I don't care anymore."

She tapped her mixing spoon anxiously against the edge of the bowl, her face hardened with anger.

"You know the one person who has always loved you, despite your judgments and holier-than-thou take on things?" he paused for her to answer, but continued when Izzie just stared back blankly. "You know, Alex?! Even he's had it with you. Callie told me, he's moved on – with Addison!"

Izzie felt as though all the wind had been knocked out of her. She wasn't sure whether to respond to the thought that Alex really loved her, or the idea of him being with Addison now. It was a horrible, horrible feeling that honestly surprised her.

Alex and Addison had been spending a lot of time together lately. And he had been taking a lot of her cases even after she released him from her service. Izzie swallowed hard and tried to push the thought out of her head.

"Alex doesn't love me," she finally said. "And I'm sorry, George, but I can't talk to you right now. I just can't."

George turned and went to his room, presumably to gather some of his things, then went back out the front door. Izzie continued mixing, but her mind wasn't on the cake.

She'd missed her chance with him, twice now – first when she passed him up for Denny, then when she'd told him just a few weeks before that she wasn't ready to move on. It was strange; she hadn't given it much thought, but she'd always assumed that when she did feel ready, Alex would be the one. Despite the mistake he'd made the first time they dated, he proved himself in the months since she lost Denny. She felt like they were closer now than they had ever been before – even when they were sleeping together. So why didn't he tell her he was with Addison now?


	2. Mulling it Over

By the next morning, she'd mentally filed away the news about Alex and Addison – if there was even anything to it. _People in the hospital talk just to hear their own voices_, she thought. _Half the stuff you hear in the locker room isn't even true._

"Didn't hear you come in last night," Izzie said, bobby pins in her mouth as she twisted her blond hair into a loose bun.

"I didn't," Meredith said. "Spent the night at Derek's. It's good to, you know, vary things up. Right?"

"Whatever keeps things interesting," Izzie said thoughtlessly.

Meredith looked up from tying her sneakers. "What did you do last night?"

"Um, I baked a cake," Izzie said, trying to sound cheery. "It was weirdly quiet – you know, with you gone and with George not, like, living there anymore… again." She looked down briefly as she grumbled that last part.

She was so sick of thinking about George and Callie that she didn't even want to talk about it, but this business of Alex and Addison – well, that was still fresh on her mind.

"Hey so, apparently there's this 'thing' right now between Alex and Addison. Can you believe him? After all the crap he's given you and Cristina about getting involved with our bosses?" She shook her head vigorously and squinted her eyes a little – two little gestures that could always tell you when Izzie was upset.

Meredith looked back, dumbfounded. "Seriously? Did he tell you this?"

"No," she said angrily. "I would have never known if George hadn't gotten all pissy with me about Callie. _He_ told me. You know, Callie and Addison are like, BFF now," she continued, throwing in another eye-roll for good measure.

"Izzie, a 'thing' could mean a whole bunch of things. Why does this even bother you so much? You turned him down. He had to move on sometime," Meredith said, using her most reasonable tone.

"Whatever. It doesn't bother me. I was just saying." Izzie said, rushing to get ready for rounds. "Do you think Derek knows anything about this?"

"Nooo," Meredith said sternly, putting up a defensive hand. "And we're not going to say anything to him, because the last thing I want to worry about is _him_ being worried about his ex-wife and another guy. I know he thinks about her; I just don't want him thinking about her out loud. To me."

Before Izzie could say anything back, the door swung open as if to announce recess was over. "Alright, people. Let's round," Dr. Bailey said, silently counting her interns as they filed in front of her. "Anybody seen Karev this morning?"

Meredith glanced over at Izzie, who was trying hard to keep from saying what she was thinking. She forced her lips into a tight, insincere smile and just shook her head. "No, I haven't."

Morning rounds ended with Izzie assigned to Mark Sloan – the other person probably seething at the thought of Alex and Addison. _What if he doesn't know? What if he knows and doesn't care? What if…?_

"Don't think I'm gonna need you to scrub in today, Blondie. I could perform this procedure with my feet," Mark said, sneaking up on Izzie from behind. "Why don't you go get me a bagel? But not the kind with raisins; those upset my stomach." He grinned smugly.

"Dr. Sloan, with all due respect, if you don't need me on the case, I should probably be reassigned to a case where I can actually be of some use," she said, absolutely not feeling like being Mark's gofer today.

"Didn't you hear me, Stevens? I just gave you something to do," Mark said. "Besides, I'll need you in the OR with me later."

Izzie perked up a bit at the thought of scrubbing in, no matter what kind of simple procedure Mark had scheduled. At least working would take her mind off Alex and Addison. "So you _will_ need me in surgery?"

"Well, yeah. I'll need you to stand across from me so I'll have something nice to look at when I get bored. Because I always get bored." He winked, causing Izzie to cringe with disgust.

"Have you seen some of the scrub nurses they stick me with?" He shook his head as if to get the image out of his mind. "Make Lassie look like a supermodel."

Izzie started to walk away. Surely Dr. Bailey wouldn't make her stay with Mark and be subjected to that kind of sexual harassment.

"Good girl. I want that bagel to still be hot when you get back," he called after her.

Izzie opened the door to the stairwell and started taking the stairs down two at a time. She couldn't get away from Mark fast enough. As she turned to catch the last flight of stairs, the door below her swung open.

"Hey, where you goin' so fast?" Alex asked as soon as he saw her.

She wanted to ask about Addison, but maybe she didn't really want to know. She just played it calm. "Getting away from Sloan. He's got me fetching bagels and posing in his OR like I'm some kind of wall decoration. I need an actual surgery."

"Oh. Well, I'm scrubbing in on a pretty big surgery later, and I think we're going to need some extra hands. I can ask Addison to put you on the case," he said.

Izzie focused in on his hazel eyes to detect any kind of emotion when he said Addison's name. Nothing. _Maybe that's good_, she thought. _Maybe Callie was purely speculating about what's going on. Maybe George was just trying to get to me._ _Or maybe Alex is making it a point to hide something…_

"Iz? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked slowly, a tiny bit of worry on his face. He stared back for a second and then reddened a little as soon as she broke their eye contact.

"Oh!" she said, shaking herself out of it. "No, I'm sorry. Thanks for the offer, but Bailey may want me somewhere else." She bolted toward the door and reached for the handle.

"Izzie," he called – gently, but loud enough to make her turn around. "I know O'Malley's usually the one you talk to when something's on your mind, and I know you're having a hard time adjusting to him being married and stuff." Alex paused. "I'm just sayin'… if you need to talk…"

She smiled brightly for the first time all day. "Thanks, Alex. I appreciate that," she said, and they both turned to go their separate ways.

"Dr. Bailey!" she called, catching a glimpse of Bailey's ample figure heading toward a patient's room.

Bailey turned and stopped with a "this better be important" expression in her tired eyes.

"Hi," Izzie said, catching up to her. "Dr. Sloan isn't in need of an intern to assist with his surgery today. Is there somewhere else I might be more helpful?"

"That's funny. Dr. Sloan requested an intern. Are you sure he doesn't need you, or do you just not like the work he has for you?" Bailey asked, placing a hand on her hip and shifting her weight to one foot. One pink Croc tapped anxiously against the tile.

Izzie exhaled with a nervous laugh. "Dr. Bailey. He just wants me to stand there so he can, I dunno, _watch me_ while he's in surgery."

Bailey shook her head incredulously. "Stevens, if he asks you to stand on your head and juggle one-handed for his amusement, there's still a lot you could learn from Dr. Sloan. It's a privilege that you get to watch these very talented doctors do their jobs, no matter what role he assigns you to. You need to understand that."

Izzie sighed. It was not going to be a good day.


	3. This is How a Heart Breaks

"Stevens!" Mark yelled.

Izzie had been in a bit of a daze most of the day, even in the OR. She looked up to see Mark grinning at her from behind his surgical mask. "Move a little to the right. I can't see you so good when you're hiding in that corner."

This was humiliating – standing around the OR like an idiot, with absolutely no role but to amuse Mark while he fixed some woman's nose. Since she couldn't get reassigned, she went back to Mark without the energy to argue with him over what he was going to let her do. At least this surgery would be over soon, and she could find more pleasant company.

She was still wrestling with the idea of talking to Alex about Addison. He did say she could feel free to talk to him, right? And if they're really friends, he shouldn't have anything to hide.

The thought of Alex and Addison together was just weird. Izzie knew that half the men in the hospital were crazy over Addison, but she never thought there could be a mutual spark between those two. In fact, Izzie had really admired the way Alex had taken an interest in Addison's specialty. The thought that someone so outwardly rough could be so gentle was really very endearing – until now anyway. _It's all been an act_, Izzie thought. _He'll say anything to get into a woman's pants, and Addison's no exception._

Once the procedure was over, Izzie headed for the scrub room and snapped off her gloves. She removed her scrub cap and shook her hair loose from its tie. _Finally, some air._ The second she looked up, she noticed Mark ogling her from across the room.

"Nice show, Stevens," he said, handing her a rumpled bill. "Shake it some more and I'll give you another one."

"You are disgusting," she spat back.

"Relax, Blondie. It's for coffee. Go get me some," he said. "Oh, but you can keep the change."

"Surgery's over," she said. "We're done here."

"And you have been most helpful. But your shift's not over, so you're still my intern," he smirked.

Izzie wadded the bill in her palm and walked away, rolling her eyes. Aside from his good looks, which rapidly deteriorated as you got to know him, Izzie wondered what in the world would compel Addison to have a relationship with Sloan. _Not that I'd mind if she went back to him right about now,_ she thought.

As Izzie approached the coffee cart outside, she caught a glimpse of George and Callie eating lunch at one of the tables. She didn't look at them, but she could practically feel their glares burning holes into her head. It made her wonder if that's how Callie felt every time her and Meredith stared her down in the house.

"Dark-roast coffee," Izzie said to the girl at the cart.

"Refueling after surgery?" a familiar voice buzzed in her ear.

"Alex!" she turned around, startled. "Don't do that to me. You scared me."

"Sorry," he said. "Got a minute to sit and BS?"

Izzie's first impulse was to say no, she had to get the coffee back up to Sloan. Her eyes darted back to George and Callie's table, and she could swear they were watching her. Maybe it was the exhaustion from dealing with Sloan's abuse all day, or maybe it was the fact that she was itching to get to the bottom of this Alex and Addison story…

"Sure," she said, grabbing the coffee and paying the woman. "I don't need change."

Izzie and Alex walked along the terrace as she sipped Mark's coffee. Dark-roast wasn't her preference but with enough cream and sugar, the taste was bearable. She handed the cup to Alex and let him have a drink before they settled at a table farthest from the crowd.

Every time she looked at him, she wanted to see something unfamiliar. She wanted his new interest in Addison to somehow be visible on his face or in his mannerisms, so she could just know without having to ask bluntly. There was nothing telling.

She saw the same eyes that used to give her that smoldering gaze that let her know exactly what he wanted to do. It was the same smile that had made her heart rise in her chest back when she still knew him as "Evil Spawn." And if Alex really loved her, like George said he did, there was nothing in his face to show that he didn't anymore.

"How was your surgery?" she asked.

"It's actually not for a couple more hours. I'm bored off my ass waiting to scrub in, but I don't want Bailey to know, or she'll send me to the pit," Alex said.

"Good point."

"I was, uh, I was actually hoping I'd run into you out here," he said, strumming his fingers on the tabletop.

"Really?" Izzie asked attentively. She put down her coffee and switched to her most matter-of-fact voice. "Why is that?"

"Relax, Iz. I just wanted to see if you were OK. You acted a little funny today in the stairwell, and Addison told me…"

"Addison told you what?" she cut in, obviously nervous.

Alex hesitated a moment before continuing. "She told me what's been going down with you and Callie and George. Sounds pretty ugly."

"Oh." That caught Izzie off guard. "Yeah, it is."

"Anyway, that's why I was telling you earlier that you can talk to me about these things. It seems like everybody's off in their own world right now – getting married, getting engaged, getting involved in new relationships. I just don't want you to feel like you don't have anybody, because you do," he said.

His looking in her eyes like that was too much for Izzie to take. "Everybody?" she asked nervously. "Forget about them; what have you got going on right now?"

"Huh?" He looked confused.

"Well, you're right," she said. "There's been so much commotion lately, we haven't really had a chance to talk in a while. Not since that last time I met you at Joe's, remember?"

He smiled, obviously a little embarrassed at the memory of his failed attempt to get her back. "Um, you know. Same stuff. Anyway, I ought to get back up…"

This was her chance. There was clearly something Alex wasn't telling her, and she had to know his status. "What about Addison?" she blurted. She hadn't meant for it to come out so abruptly, but now that it was out there, it was as good a time as any to find out what was really happening.

"What do you mean?" he asked, sitting back down.

"Are you two… um, like, seeing each other or something?" Izzie tried not to look too concerned.

"Uhh, no. I guess… no." He shook his head and bit his lip, averting her gaze a little.

"Oh." She put her hand on her heart, not caring if he saw how relieved she was. "It's just that George got mad at me and started saying that Addison told Callie some stuff…" Izzie stopped when she saw Alex hang his head and put both hands behind his neck. She'd clearly hit a nerve. "Alex?"

"I can't really… I can't talk about that." He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully.

"You can tell _me_," she pleaded, leaning close to him, almost in a whisper.

Alex zeroed in on her lips, and for a moment, Izzie thought he might kiss her. She wouldn't push him away this time. She couldn't – not when she stood the chance of losing him forever.

"Shhh, Iz. I will. I will once I get some things sorted out for myself," he said softly, looking into her eyes in a way that made her want to cry a little. "But right now, I think I better go."

He stood and stretched his arms above his head in a way that made his scrub top rise to reveal a couple inches of skin. He planted a thoughtful kiss on top of Izzie's head. "We'll talk later, OK?"

"OK," she said, feigning a smile until he turned away. She thought about going and finding Meredith. Izzie had no desire to deal with Sloan's crap for the rest of the day, and she was sure Meredith would know of some good hiding places in the hospital. She just wanted to go somewhere that she wouldn't have to see anyone, where she wouldn't have to work, where she wouldn't have to think.


	4. The Hot and Bittersweet

Hiding out in an empty on-call room did little to improve Izzie's state of mind. She and Alex used to have sex in the on-call rooms. Before that, they used to _try_ to have sex in the on-call rooms. And there was the day Izzie caught Alex having sex in an on-call room… with Olivia.

Her mind wandered back to the days immediately after the bomb scare, when she was so desperate to grab hold of life that she practically pushed Alex into a linen closet for sex. At the time it really hadn't been about him; he was just a warm body, a familiar body, someone she knew wouldn't say no.

For Izzie, it had been about feeling desirable – not the kind of desirable that provoked wolf-whistles and cheesy pick-up lines. She'd gotten plenty of that as a model; by now, she was unimpressed by that kind of attention. Her encounters with Mark Sloan were a prime example.

What she had craved was something more passionate, something that could only be satiated by human contact. She'd wanted someone to appreciate the parts of her body that weren't obvious places to touch during sex; she'd wanted someone to make her feel as though they couldn't get enough.

Alex had gathered her hair high on her head and kissed the nape of her neck; he'd meandered down her jawline and spun her around to brush his lips along her collarbone. He'd caressed her thighs as he kissed her behind her knees. He'd paid special attention to the couple inches of skin near her hipbones, making her bite her lip in anticipation of what was next.

It was the most amazing sex she'd ever had, and at the time, she chalked it up to the danger of what was happening all around them. But after the fear wore off, after they continued to have sex just as mind-blowing as it had been the first time, and yes, after she fell for Denny and ended the whole thing… after her months of grieving, she realized it had been more.

It was the way he'd wanted all of her. He'd looked at her with something more than lust, even in the throes of passion. He'd handled her in a way that was tender, yet just assertive enough to keep the adrenaline high. She liked to think that it was because what George said had been true – that he loved her.

Her mind briefly flashed to an image of him holding Addison like he'd held her, but she pushed it away before it could invade her thoughts completely. For the first time, Izzie wondered if she ever made him feel as good as he made her feel. Probably not – she hadn't been in love with him; she hadn't been invested enough to put his needs first. She was still too guarded to fall for him again, on account of the Olivia situation.

If remembering their sexual encounters had turned her on a little, the reality of the situation was like a cold shower – one that she probably needed since they were in such different places now. She hadn't been ready to date again since Denny died, and he was, well, he was certainly _involved_, somehow, with Addison.

"Cristina!" Izzie said cheerily as her fellow intern came into the room. Izzie knew she was in a mental funk when the sight of Cristina was a welcome one.

"Save it, Barbie, I need sleep." Cristina dismissed Izzie with a wave and plopped onto the opposite lower bunk.

Izzie ignored her. She'd figured out a long time ago that Cristina was all bark, no bite. "So, do _you_ know anything about this weird 'thing' going on bet…?"

"No and I don't care," Cristina shot back, her voice muffled by a pillow.

"But you didn't even let me finish," Izzie protested.

"Didn't I just tell you I need sleep? Or did I _dream_ that?" Cristina snapped, clearly annoyed. "That's why we have this room – for resting, not for chatting."

"Fine," Izzie said, hopping off the bed. "I'm going home… to our house of no roommates, no guests, no laughter, no life…" She waited for Cristina to respond, hoping for some sympathy; predictably, she got none.

Izzie hurried back to the locker room, praying Sloan wouldn't catch her and give her grief for skipping out on him. As she passed the neonatal unit, she couldn't help but look through the window to see if she could catch a glimpse of Alex. There he was, resting against an empty bed, chatting with Addison about God knows what. Were they making plans together? Were they headed for an on-call room like the one she just left?

Her mind raced, and Izzie had to stop herself from wondering any more, for fear that she'd drive herself crazy. Meredith would be with Derek again tonight, and the thought of going home to that empty house scared her even more. Maybe Izzie didn't need to go home just yet. Maybe she needed a drink.

Joe's Bar was always buzzing with activity, no matter what time of day it was. It was likely because hospital employees, Joe's biggest customer base, worked such crazy hours. Izzie always saw plenty of people from work there, so even when she went alone she would usually find company.

Izzie took a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of Chardonnay. She wasn't the kind of wine drinker who sipped slowly and savored every shard of flavor. If she liked the taste well enough, she took moderate drinks and enjoyed the happy buzz she could only get from drinking wine.

"Flying solo tonight, Iz?" Joe asked when he got a break between customers.

"Guess I am. It's so quiet at the house since George lives with Callie now, and Meredith is rarely there now that she's with Derek again," she said, taking a swallow.

"What about the others? Alex – he's a good drinking buddy. Where's he been?" Joe probably meant it as casual conversation, but the question prompted Izzie to do a little digging – against her better judgment. It was a general rule, she figured, that if anyone had some dirt, it would be the bartender.

"I dunno. Probably with Addison," she said, rolling her eyes. Her answer didn't seem to faze Joe at all. In fact, he nodded his head a little as if it didn't really seem strange that they might be together.

"How's that going?" Joe asked, then he caught himself and rephrased the question. "I mean, how are you feeling about all that? I know you and Alex have a history together."

"Uh… uh… well, I guess…" Izzie stammered, caught a little off guard that Joe did indeed know something was between them.

Before she could finish, the heavy oak door squealed open. As if on cue, it was Alex and Addison.


	5. Want Me

Joe flashed Izzie a concerned smile and made a subtle shrugging gesture. "Hey guys," he turned to the pair just entering the bar. "What can I get ya?"

Izzie tried to gulp down her wine before either of them noticed her, but to no avail.

"Dr. Stevens." Addison gave a very businesslike nod and wave from a couple seats down.

"Hello, Dr. Montgomery," Izzie said. "Hi, Alex." Alex looked back at her like a deer in headlights, like he'd just been caught doing something wrong.

Izzie hadn't wanted to be at home by herself this evening, but right about now, a movie and a pint of Haagen Dazs were starting to sound pretty good. Izzie decided to pace herself with the rest of her wine and make a casual exit as soon as she could.

She didn't intrude on their conversation, but from where she sat, it didn't sound like Alex and Addison were having a blast together or anything. Mostly work talk, as far as she could tell. Within five minutes, she was done with her wine. She slid a bill across the splintery bar and bid Joe a good night.

On her way out the door, she heard a familiar male voice call out, "Good night, Iz," but she figured he'd forgive her later for not saying good night.

One good thing about no longer having a male in the house was not having to compromise on movies. Izzie was a chick-flick kind of girl, and she was taking home the girliest, weepiest new releases she could find. She wasn't working the next day either, so she could easily foresee this becoming a movie marathon of sorts – the kind you can only enjoy when you're alone.

One and a half movies in, and her eyes were still glued to the small screen in the living room. Her face was wet from crying, though she wasn't sure whether it was more a result of the movie or her reluctance to see Alex move forward.

She heard something out of place and paused the DVD to make sure it wasn't something on the movie. _Was that a knock at the door?_ It was past midnight. She'd seen things like this in movies a hundred times, though not the kind of movies she preferred to watch. Did she really want to open it?

Izzie crept toward the door and put one eye up to the peephole. To her astonishment, it was Alex. _Please tell me Addison isn't lurking somewhere nearby_, she thought. _I don't have anywhere left to hide if she is._

She opened the door for him, forgetting her face was streaked with tears. "Alex? What's wrong?"

His expression was hard to read. He paused a moment and stepped past her, all the way into the house. His hands were shoved deep inside his pockets. Puzzled, Izzie closed the door behind him.

"Do you want me?" he finally asked, barely glancing upward to make eye contact with Izzie. He seemed tense, angry even.

"What?" she shook her head. "I don't know what you mean."

"Izzie, if you want me, tell me now, so I'll know what to do," he said, a hint of desperation in his voice. "I know you're uncomfortable about me spending time with Addison."

"Yeah," she admitted. "I am."

"You told me a few weeks ago that you couldn't be with me, and I was fine with that. Really, I understand. I thought you wanted me to move on, so that's what I'm trying to do," he said.

Izzie nodded in understanding. "Do you like her? Like, in a serious kind of way?" Tears continued to well in the corners of her eyes.

Alex looked around for a second and shrugged. "I do like her. I think we've grown on each other. She's sexy and smart and funny and surprisingly enough, attracted to me."

He paused briefly and reached forward, gently wiping Izzie's tears with his thumb and then cupping her chin in his hand. "But Iz, you just say the word. You tell me you're ready to be with me, that you want me the way that I want you… and this thing with Addison will be over before it ever happens."

Izzie's heart was beating so fast she could practically hear it. He was giving her the power to call off his relationship with Addison and to start a future with him. She always knew she'd move on to another serious relationship eventually, but would it be fair to Alex for her to try and be committed to him while still mourning Denny? She thought about the memories she'd had earlier, of how Alex used to do just the right things to make her feel good. She wanted him to be that happy now.

"Alex, I… I can't believe I'm saying this. I really can't. You deserve to be happy, and I don't know if I could give you that right now. I don't know if I'm in a place where I can give you 100 percent." Her voice was trembling with the fear that she'd just blown her last chance with him.

Izzie wanted so badly for him to say that it was OK, that he'd wait as long as it took for her to be ready. As selfish as it was, she wanted him to tell her out loud that he loved her.

He just stayed silent and pulled her close for a hug, allowing her to dry her eyes on his jacket. "It's OK, Iz," he whispered. "I'm sorry for getting you upset like that. You don't need that now. It's going to be OK." He pulled back and looked at her to make sure she was OK. She just nodded.

"I'll let you get some sleep," he said, still holding one of her hands as he opened the door with the other one. "Good night."

As their hands finally separated, Izzie felt her last bit of hope slip away from her. He deserved someone who could love him now… no matter how badly she wanted the chance to love him in the future.


	6. Mending Fences

The next few days were torturously slow. Baking cookies, eating cookies, going to work, small-talking with Meredith and Cristina whenever they found themselves in the same place with nothing to do. Izzie still hadn't spoken to George, even though she was past the point of being angry.

"You guys need to make nice," Meredith said as she sat for breakfast, her voice still a little creaky from not being fully awake. "You, Izzie, are the biggest proponent of making nice with people after a fight. Remember when George and I… you know?" Meredith scrunched her nose in embarrassment. "You told me every single day that I needed to make up with him, and now look at you."

"I know, you're right," Izzie reluctantly admitted, buttering a slice of toast to go with Meredith's cereal. "I've had a lot on my mind these past few days, and for better or for worse, George hasn't been at the top of that list." She shrugged.

"But you're best friends, remember? He should be at the top of the list, even if you're not at the top of his right this minute." Meredith did have a point.

Izzie took a seat and devoured a forkful of the French toast she'd made herself. _Exquisite_, she thought. _If only everything else I did could come out this perfect_. Izzie thought maybe she ought to focus on making amends with George; they couldn't avoid each other forever.

"Did you get them a wedding gift?" she asked Meredith.

"No," Meredith said meekly. "Should I have?"

Izzie thought for a second. "No. You don't invite someone to your wedding, you can't expect them to buy you a gift."

"This is true," Meredith said. "But still… a little gesture of congratulations never hurts."

Izzie knew it was meant more as advice than anything else, and she was willing to take it. Meredith wasn't usually a person whose advice you'd want to take, considering her massive mistake with George and incessant pining over a then-married man, but lately she'd been getting it together. She was certainly doing better than Izzie in the relationship department.

"So…" Izzie began to change the subject. "Alex came by here one night when you were out."

Meredith nearly choked on her orange juice. She wiped her mouth quickly. "Really? What on earth for?"

"Long story. Turns out there _is_ something going on between him and Addison, and I guess I've got to be OK with that," Izzie said.

"I can't really say I'm that surprised. Addison is, after all, Ms. Leggy, Fabulous Baby-Saver. I know that better than anybody," Meredith said. "But truthfully, I don't think it will last. I don't think he's over you."

Izzie's eyes widened a little. She considered telling Meredith about the opportunity he gave her, and about the answer she gave that disappointed them both. Meredith wouldn't understand, because nobody who hadn't experienced what Izzie did with Denny, and immediately after his death, could possibly understand why she told Alex no.

"One thing I don't get, though," Meredith started, clearing her dishes from the table, "is why you've been so hung up on this. It's not even that I thought you were over him; it's more like, I never knew you were... _on_ him."

"I know, I know. I didn't either," Izzie said, brushing her wispy bangs off her forehead. "Maybe I'm just being selfish. Maybe I just didn't understand what I had. Maybe… I've just gone crazy from not having George around this week."

"Uh-huh," Meredith answered, smiling. "I'm sure it's one of those things."

When they got to the hospital that morning, Izzie didn't have any high hopes for the day. Ever since she'd ditched Sloan to hide out in the on-call room, he'd been on her back constantly with chores and errands that were obviously too menial for him to complete himself.

On the bright side, running around to fetch Sloan's dry cleaning and to have his car detailed gave her plenty of time outside the hospital… time she could use to take care of some personal matters.

Leaving the dry cleaner's, Izzie surveyed the area for a place where she could do some shopping. Buying a wedding present for a couple that didn't even have a home, technically, would be challenging. _Maybe some hand sanitizer for Callie_, she thought, just before catching herself and remembering that this gesture needed to be kind, not condescending.

She browsed the aisles of a nearby home store, the kind that sells lamps and mirrors and rugs and other things unnecessary for George and Callie's living situation. There were always the old standbys, like blenders and irons, but those just seemed so… blah. Izzie was the kind of person who believed that when it came to gifts, the thought behind the gift mattered a lot more than simply the gesture of buying something – even if was a gift she'd begrudgingly decided to buy.

The gift she finally chose hadn't caught her eye so much because it was remarkable in any way; it was more because of the idea it inspired in her. And the fact that George was now out of their house, while most of his belongings were still there, ensured that her idea could work. Izzie breathed deeply, relieved that could indeed begin to mend her relations with George and Callie.

Back at the hospital, Mark Sloan's face was the first one she saw upon getting off the elevator to the surgical wing. Izzie groaned inside.

"Took you long enough, Stevens. Are my pants pressed and my car waxed?" he asked.

"Yes and yes," she said emotionlessly. "Now is there anything else, anything _surgical_, that I can help you with?"

Mark scratched his chin, ruffling the short, graying hairs of his goatee for a moment. "Yeah, uh, go check on the boob job lady in 2022."

"Ms. Winston?" Izzie asked.

"Yeah, whatever. See how they're, um, how _she's_ holding up," Mark said, flashing her a sly wink before turning on his heel to walk away.

Izzie wondered if Mark would be so cocky if he knew that Addison had passed him over for one of the peons he'd been sending out for coffee. Then again, she'd seen Mark angry before… and believe it or not, angry Mark was much worse than regular, jerky Mark. Izzie hoped for her own sake he didn't find out.

On her way to Ms. Winston's room, Izzie caught sight of George leaning against a desk at the nurses' station, idly flipping through a patient's chart. "George!" she yelled, willing him to stand still long enough for her to go and talk to him. He waited, giving her a disinterested look as she jogged over.

"Hey, George," she said, a little out of breath. "I feel really awful for what happened the other night… and for the stuff I said before that. I want to start fresh with you and Callie."

George seemed skeptical. "OK. So?"

"So… I was hoping I could get together with you and Callie one night this week, maybe at Joe's?" She tried to read George's expression to detect any interest. "Well, not just me," she blurted. "Meredith, too… and, um, well, everybody."

She knew it was a mistake to commit her friends to an engagement they didn't even know about, but Izzie was desperate to right things with George… to have at least one good thing in her life.

"OK," George said cautiously. "Tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night is perfect!" Izzie beamed. She touched his shoulder and ran off to check on Sloan's patient, mentally noting that she needed to find Meredith, Cristina and Alex – well, Meredith and Cristina, for sure – to let them know they were on board for a party tomorrow night.

Of course, Addison and Callie were good friends, so maybe she needed to invite Alex and Addison. _What the heck_, Izzie thought. Like Meredith said, mending fences with the newlyweds should have been her be top priority.

"Alex!" she called, spotting him in the hall. "You and Addison up for a party tomorrow?"


	7. Sweet Revelation

Alex fidgeted with his name badge a little and gave Izzie a shaky half-smile. "A party?"

Izzie wondered if he would pretend like everything was normal between them, like their talk at the house the other night hadn't happened. "It's not a _party_, party… more like a get-together," she said, scanning his face for insight. "I need to make it up to George for being so… _unwelcoming_ to Callie, so I sort of promised a get-together before I had any actual, you know, guests."

"At the house?" he asked.

"No, at Joe's. Tomorrow night," she said. "I really need people to come, or I'll just look like an idiot standing there by myself, and I'll have to make awkward conversation with George and Callie all night."

Alex seemed to be thinking it over. Did he feel weird about the prospect of bringing Addison? Maybe he was just distant because Izzie had rejected him yet again. Either way, Izzie hated that there was weirdness between them.

She watched his face intently and was surprised when suddenly their eyes locked. Alex's strong shoulders went soft, and he exhaled. "Yeah, I'll come by. What time?"

"Eight-ish?" she replied.

"OK, sure," he said, starting to continue on the path he'd been walking before Izzie interrupted him. "See you later."

Before Izzie could say "thanks," he had disappeared down the hall. She didn't even have the chance to mention Addison again, which she should have, since Addison's friendship with Callie was the only reason to invite Alex and Addison. Wasn't it?

At home that evening, Izzie was pleasantly surprised to find Meredith in the kitchen, scavenging the fridge for leftover cookies. Meredith was the one who pushed her to fix things with George in the first place; she couldn't say no to the get-together idea, could she?

"Of course we'll come," Meredith said. By "we," Izzie assumed she meant her and Derek, which was fine because, in this case, the more the merrier. "I mean, how many nights a week are we usually at Joe's anyway? I'm proud of you, Izzie."

"Thanks," Izzie said, smiling. "Think you can entice Cristina to join us?"

"Please, there's liquor. She's as good as there already," Meredith answered with a laugh. "I'll tell her."

Izzie headed upstairs to get to work on George and Callie's wedding present, with the item she'd bought from the home store earlier that day. Thinking about weddings and marriage in general had been making her a sad lately. It had made her think of Denny.

Izzie wondered if she would be married right now, had Denny lived. She had no idea about his money before, but now she wondered what kind of life they would have had together. Would there be maids and cooks and fancy cars and exotic travel? She had to laugh at herself for a minute. She was envisioning Denny to have lived like some kind of rap superstar, with a velvet robe and a cane, when that was probably the furthest thing from the truth.

George would have come to her wedding. Callie, too. One couple she _never_ imagined would be there was Alex and Addison – it was just too bizarre. Alex would definitely have been there, though. Even if it meant sitting alone in the very back row, wearing a suit that made him look both as handsome and sad as he had looked on prom night.

A few months ago, when Denny was still alive, the thought of vengeful, angry Alex coming to their wedding someday would have seemed ridiculous. But after the way he'd lifted her from Denny's body and held her that night, the way he'd stepped up to say all the right things when she knew it had to be so painful for him, Izzie knew Alex would always be there for her. He made her feel loved after the man she'd considered the love of her life had taken his final breath.

It was ironic, really. Alex had to step aside and let her be with Denny back then, just like Izzie had stepped aside to let Alex look for happiness with Addison. Maybe they weren't in such different places as Izzie had thought they were. Separately, they longed to be together, but each wanted the other to be happy above all else.

Just that moment, while shuffling through photos in George's abandoned bedroom, Izzie had a realization that made her hands freeze in place and her heart rate soar. Suddenly she understood what had made her say "no" to Alex by the front door that night – it was love. She loved Alex. She loved him too much to make what might have been an empty promise, especially when someone else was waiting in the wings to make him happy now.

Izzie flopped back on George's tiny bed and put both hands over her heart, as if to keep it from jumping out of her chest. "I… love… Alex," she said, just to hear her voice enunciating the words. "I love Alex." She burst into a fit of giggles on the bed, not caring that the revelation of her feelings might have come too late.

"Izzie? Are you OK?" Meredith stood at the door, looking terribly concerned. "Do you need me to get you something? Call anyone?" _Poor Mer_, Izzie thought._ She probably thinks I'm going crazy again obsessing about Denny._

"No! Not at all – I'm great!" Izzie said, trying to collect herself.

Meredith raised a suspicious eyebrow. "I'm just going to turn and walk away," she said slowly, doing just that. Right before she descended the stairs, Izzie heard her add, "And I'm going to pretend I didn't hear what you just said."

Izzie's face still radiated with warmth as she went back to working on George and Callie's present. For the moment, it was OK with her that she didn't have Alex. She had the amazing feeling of being in love with him, and that was enough for now.

Izzie recalled waking up with his arms wrapped around her – the safest place in the world. She remembered the warmth of his torso against her back, and how she could feel all his muscles tense up the second he realized she was awake. She'd roll over to face him – without a drop of makeup on her face, her hair in all sorts of disarray – and he looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world every single morning they woke up together.

She never told him how the way he looked at her like that drove her crazy. She'd never admitted to him that part of the appeal of having sex with him was simply knowing his body would remain in bed with hers as they slept through the long night. And she'd never been brave enough to look back into his eyes as intensely as he looked at hers when their bodies came together.

Only now did she realize what she had missed, what she had failed to cherish.


	8. Where Do We Go?

Izzie couldn't believe it, but they were actually laughing together – her and Callie were sitting across from each other at Joe's, with George and the others of course, having a decent time. She chalked it up to an unusually good mood that only one thing could have caused – love.

Alex hadn't shown up, and it was making Izzie nervous – not so much because she thought he might not come, but simply because she couldn't focus on anything else (including the guests of honor) without him there. It was silly; even when he arrived, possibly with Addison in tow, what was she going to do? For now, she'd have to be content to bask in the glow of just knowing she was in love.

"I got you a present," Izzie said, bright-eyed, to the couple across the table from her. Callie cocked her head in disbelief; George opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't. "I know, I know… I didn't have to. But I wanted to," Izzie insisted.

She reached under the table and pulled out the photo frame she'd purchased. She held it to her chest so George and Callie couldn't see the front, then flipped it around with the exaggerated manner of a game show model. "Ta-da!"

George laughed, breathlessly. The delicate silver frame was divided into three sections – two smaller ones on top and the largest on the bottom. On the top left-hand side, a picture of Harold O'Malley, George's dad. He was smiling and holding a fishing rod – certainly a different man than the one who had passed away in the hospital just recently, but surely the one George would want to remember.

The photo next to that one was of George, flanked by Meredith and Izzie in the house they once all called home. The large space at the bottom was empty.

"I know you guys didn't have the kind of wedding with a photographer and a reception where you fed each other cake and danced while everybody else got drunk. So that's why there's no photo here," Izzie said, pointing to the empty space. "But, we're all celebrating tonight… and we have a cake! So maybe your wedding picture can be taken this evening."

George looked over at Callie, who leaned across the table to give Izzie a hug. "This was really sweet," Callie said. "It means a lot to me."

George took his turn giving Izzie a hug as well. He spoke quietly enough so that only Izzie could hear him. "Are you trying to make me cry in front of my wife?"

Izzie laughed as George moved back to his seat. "I appreciate this, Izzie. Who's got the camera?" George called out to Meredith, Derek, Cristina and the other bar regulars who'd wandered over to their table.

If anyone answered, Izzie didn't hear them. Alex had just walked into the bar and was small-talking with Joe up at the front. Was Addison around? Izzie tried looking around without being obvious; she didn't see her. Izzie was so anxious, Alex's conversation with Joe seemed to be taking place in slow motion.

She couldn't believe she was getting butterflies over someone she'd already dated and dumped, someone she'd had sex with so many times there was nothing new to expect. Well, that wasn't entirely true – Alex had always found ways to pleasantly surprise her.

"Aw, if it's not the newlyweds," Alex said as he approached, not trying to hide his sarcasm.

"Hey," Izzie said, glancing back toward the door. "You, uh, come here alone?"

Alex looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, um…," he started, turning his attention back up to the group. "Hey, does anybody want a drink?"

The evening went on just as it should have. Everybody talked, drank (of course), gorged on Izzie's fabulous cake and had a great time. Just because Alex had dodged her question about Addison didn't mean Izzie couldn't enjoy herself. After all, George was happy! Tensions between her and Callie had dissolved, at least for tonight.

Yet still, Izzie felt like something else needed to happen. Now that she had recognized her feelings for Alex, she hadn't a clue what to do with them.

As her friends started to head home, Izzie began to take down the decorations she'd brought. Joe told her she didn't need to worry about cleaning up, but a good hostess never left someone else to pick up her mess.

"You gonna eat the rest of that cake all by yourself?" Alex asked, coming up behind her as she hand-swept confetti off the table.

"Maybe," she teased, swiping her finger across the icing and putting it to her lips.

"Gimme that," he said, suddenly grabbing her hand and tasting the icing on her finger. "Mmm. Nice job," he added, smacking with satisfaction.

Izzie felt warmth rising up to her cheeks and hoped she wasn't blushing. She remembered the time he surprised her with a cupcake out by the ER. How she had managed to get distracted from this gorgeous man who was offering her sweets was a mystery, she thought, before remembering it was Denny's arrival that interrupted them.

"You want some?" she asked, waving an icing-covered fingertip in front of his face. He grabbed her hand again, but this time he didn't pull it to his mouth. He just moved her hand from between their faces and inched closer to her.

"Oh God," he said, closing his eyes as if in surrender. "Izzie, you drive me crazy."

She just looked at him, mesmerized, as he took a step backward. Was now the right time for her to tell him she loved him? Or was he just having a moment of weakness? Izzie just focused on breathing and waited for him to speak again.

He shook his head quickly and opened his eyes again. "Iz, there are some things I have to tell you, and I don't know if this is really the right time, or…" he looked around at the mostly empty bar, "if this is the right place. But it's really important."

"OK," she said, not hesitating to gather her things and place the cake back in its box. "You lead the way."

They walked out together and Alex motioned for her to climb into his car. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, onto the free, expansive highway, which was largely devoid of traffic at such a late hour. For once, the rain had stopped and the stars were visible in the sky. Neither of them said a word for several minutes.

Izzie felt a lump in her throat. She had the kind of romance jitters she hadn't had since… well, forever. In high school, when most girls were experiencing crushes and first kisses, Izzie's life hadn't exactly been ideal. Since then, surgery had been her life, and any relationships she might have stumbled onto happened in the least traditional ways, Denny being a perfect example.

And even though she knew Alex's strong feelings for her, she honestly had no idea what was going to happen. What did he have to tell her that he hadn't said before? Why was it so important that he had to get her away in order to say it?

Her heart thumped against the walls of her chest, and as if he had heard it, he slowed the car to a stop. Izzie looked around and saw nothing but a wide expanse of land and a clear sky above. There were no patients to care for, no friends to argue with, no signs of the hospital in sight, nothing – except Izzie and Alex.


	9. Keep You Warm

Izzie admired the serene sky from the passenger seat, and hesitated before asking Alex where exactly they were. In a way, it really didn't matter.

Alex looked over at her, and for the first time since they'd left Joe's together, he cracked a smile. "Honestly?" he said. "I have no idea. I just stopped when I figured we were far enough from the hospital not to think about it, but before we went so far they'd have to send a search party for us."

Izzie let out a small laugh, inwardly thinking that getting lost with Alex didn't seem like such a bad idea. She unbuckled her seatbelt and shifted her body in the seat so she could lean back comfortably and still be facing Alex. It was too cold outside for them to leave the car. With the heater on and the radio tuned to a barely audible pop song, there was nowhere else she wanted to be.

"So… you wanted to tell me something," Izzie reminded him.

"That I did," Alex said, his eyes cast down.

He seemed to be formulating a dialogue in his head, and when he didn't add anything more after a few seconds, Izzie spoke up. "So how are things with Addison? I kind of expected to see her tonight."

"They're good," he said, nonchalantly. He looked back up at Izzie before continuing. "You know, I'm as surprised as anyone that this whole… _thing_ with her even started."

"Why?" Izzie interrupted. She was genuinely curious. The Alex she knew never doubted his influence on the ladies, and she had to admit, he was usually right.

"I gave her hell the whole time I was stuck on her service and got out of there as fast as I could. The only reason I came back was because I realized what a jackass Sloan is. That she even let me on one of her cases after that surprised me," he said. "It was weird. The more interested I became in her cases, the more she became interested in me." Alex looked back at Izzie, who just nodded for him to continue.

"I'd catch her giving me these… looks. I've been with a lot of women, and I know what that look means. Long story short, she had one crummy day and we wound up kissing at Joe's," he said.

Izzie did her best to hide the subtle sting she felt when he said that. Joe's – the place where he had marched through the door, looked her in the eye and swept her backward for the most amazing kiss she'd ever had in her life. It had definitely been worth the frustration and the wait she'd endured after he wouldn't kiss her on their first date. Now, she wondered if he had kissed Addison the same way.

"She hid from me for a while," he continued, "and when I finally caught up to her to talk about it, I told her I wasn't interested."

"Were you?" Izzie wanted to know. Maybe Alex had brought her here tonight because he needed her to understand that he was moving on – for good. She knew she'd been foolish to expect him to wait around for her. After all, was Alex the kind of guy who would wait around for any woman? He'd always move on a new conquest, and in this case, that seemed to be Addison.

She studied the strong, chiseled features of his face for a hint as to how he was feeling. He just looked uncomfortable, a little pained. Izzie had to brace herself for what would come next; she didn't want him to see her cry, not again.

"Yeah," he said. "I lied to her. I was starting to have feelings for her too, and of course I was attracted to her. Anyway, my telling her that didn't really slow things down. She kept giving me those dirty, seductive looks, and finally I just decided, 'Why the hell not?' The only thing stopping me from moving forward was that I thought I might still have a chance with you, and when you told me to move on…" he trailed off, shaking his head as he gazed out into the horizon.

Izzie nodded, feeling foolish and a little sickened with herself. "I did tell you that, didn't I?" she recalled. They both sat silent for a few seconds, staring off in opposite directions, the sadness so chilling even the warm air circulating in the cabin had no effect.

Alex finally broke the silence. "The night I came to your house, asking if you wanted me like I wanted you… well, Addison had invited me back to her hotel room. And she made sure there was no doubt in my mind what she wanted to do with me. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but it was talking loud and clear.

"I was going to go, but I just had to know if I was making a mistake." He gave a short laugh. "Man, when I'm second-guessing myself on going back to a hot chick's hotel room, you know I'm in deep."

Izzie laughed too, a little awkwardly, but what could she say? She'd told him what he wanted to know that night at the house; she couldn't fault him for getting on with his life.

"Here's the thing, Iz," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "I didn't go."

Izzie suddenly felt her body tingling all over. Her eyes brightened, and the feel of her heart beating wasn't painful anymore. "You didn't?"

"No, that's what I wanted to tell you tonight. I couldn't go. I couldn't make myself," he said. "The truth is, and I'm sorry if this is selfish, and I understand if you want to slap me… but I would wait forever for you. No, scratch that – I _will_ wait forever for you."

Those words brought a rush of happiness over Izzie like she'd never felt before. She didn't know whether to laugh, cry, hug him, kiss him or shout how much she loved him – so she just trembled all over, beaming with joy. "Come on," she said, reaching for her door handle, "let's get out."

"Iz, it's cold," he said, obviously puzzled by her reaction to his confession.

"I don't care," she answered. "Come outside with me." She jumped out of the car and stretched her hands over her head, kicking one leg in the air before hopping around to Alex's open door. She grabbed both his hands to pull him outside with her. "Doesn't this feel great?" she laughed, the wind whipping her golden hair in every direction.

Alex shivered a bit and squeezed Izzie's hands for warmth. "Doesn't what feel great?"

Her face turned serious as she released his hands and slid hers up his muscular arms, over his shoulders and neck, and gently caressed the sides of his face. She was close enough to breathe in his scent, something she didn't realize she had missed until just that second.

"This," she said, slowly moving forward as if to see how close she could get before their lips actually touched. She wanted to feel the split second that would take them from friends back to lovers again. The warmth of his breath made her forget all about the cold; his hands clasped at the small of her back sent a tiny shiver up her spine.

Izzie stopped worrying about whether she was ready to be in another relationship, and she had long since put Addison out of her mind. In fact, she stopped thinking at all. As soon as she'd leaned close enough to make contact, she paused just to savor the feel of Alex's lips on hers before engaging him in a kiss that started as tender, but left both pleasurably out of breath.

"I have something to say, too," Izzie said, sinking deeper into his embrace.

"Should I be scared?" he asked, with more than a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Of course not," she laughed. "Alex, I can't excuse myself for not being able to recognize this sooner, but after I told you to take a chance with Addison, I realized why I'd said that. I was afraid I'd hurt you, and I didn't want to do that because…" She paused and looked into his eyes for the reassurance she needed. "Because I love you."

Alex appeared stunned. "Izzie, don't say that if…"

"I do mean it," she interrupted. She took his face in her hands again and said it slowly, emphasizing each word. "I… love… _you_."

A smile bigger than any she'd ever seen on him spread across his face, and he hugged her tightly as if holding on for dear life. He stroked her hair and planted quick kisses all over the side of her face. The stubble on his chin tickled her ear as he said in the quietest whisper, "I love you too, Iz. I've always loved you."

As they kissed again, Izzie didn't feel the harsh winds that rustled the trees around them, nor the frosty air that had made them want to stay in the car in the first place. She felt a man that seemed like home to her, a body that fit beautifully with hers, and a love she knew would never leave her.


End file.
